Chapter 5— Split Interests

Emelia's POV

A ringing hijacked my hearing and suddenly, my head started to spin. Even in my place of work I couldn't escape that name.

Lily, Lily, Lily.

Why was she everywhere I went?

"Why is she being given my position, Trevor? Am I not doing enough?"

Trevor sighed. "You know you're one of our best, Emelia. And I really am sorry, but Mr. Russo made it perfectly clear that this decision was his—you know I can't refute his word."

I knew Victor’s words couldn't be swayed by anyone.

Still, I could maybe accept someone else getting the promotion, but not Lily. Especially since she only got the position because of her connections, and not because she was qualified.

It also didn't help that she and Victor had secrets between them I knew nothing about…

"Are you alright? You look a little unwell." Trevor asked.

"I’m fine, I just need a moment." I responded. "Do you mind if I go back to my office?"

"Of course, I know it's a lot to take in." Trevor looked at me with concern. "But don't be too upset, okay? Stuff like this happens all the time. After all, she’s the CEO’s friend. It's normal for some people to have more  privileges than others."

I held my tongue but nodded my head in acknowledgment.

I would accept this as "normal" if only she wasn't gaining more privileges and favoritism than the CEO's wife…

After all, it was my design that was chosen to flagship the new season, and Victor still gave my position away to Lily. It felt like he'd slapped me in the face.

Lily had to be more important than what Victor was letting on. She had to have been more than just a childhood friend. There was no other way around it.

I retreated to my office, I needed time alone to recollect myself and my thoughts. As I turned to close my blinds, I saw my colleagues whispering to each other as they looked towards my office.

It seemed like the news broke out already.

Heat rose to my cheeks as I closed the blinds and sank onto my chair. I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes.

My few seconds of respite was annoyingly interrupted when a knock came at my door. I ignored it. Then there was another. It was like nails scratching against a chalkboard. 

After I hadn't answered the first 2 times, I heard the click of my door opening. I stood up quickly and whipped my body around, ready to push whoever invaded my privacy out of my office.

But it was Victor. Was silence in my own office now suddenly a luxury? "What do you want?"

"Emelia, I came to talk to you about Lily. I know Trevor told you about my decision."

"What could you possibly say that could make this situation any better?"

"I fail to see why you're so angry with this." Victor's tone was indifferent.

I scoffed. "You made the decision to give my promotion to Lily, who isn't even qualified to do it!"

"Lily just needs a job, okay? This really isn't that big of a deal, Em. You'll see a salary increase as compensation, since you'll still be a part of the project anyway." Victor cocked his head to the side. "Seriously, you don't need to get so wound up over this."

It wasn't about the money, or even the promotion itself. It was about the fact that Victor was just casually giving Lily everything and doing so much for her.

And she was supposed to be just a friend.

"You've lied about her, you've prioritized her feelings over mine… How long will it be until you replace me with her?!" I almost yelled.

Victor groaned. "Where are you getting these crazy ideas from, Em? I'm not replacing anyone—especially you. You know this company is just as much yours as it is mine with how much work you've put into it."

"Don't lie to me now. You're horrible at it." I rolled my eyes. "Besides, I’m nothing more than just another employee; I don't even own any of the stocks. There's no way we ‘share’ this company."

“I can give you shares, Em.” Victor said without hesitation. 

He had proposed the idea so quickly that I didn’t have time to process it.

My jaw dropped and my eyebrows shot up. Even just 1% stakeholding was a fortune that ordinary people cannot reach.

I'd never once asked him for shares of the company—it never even crossed my mind.

“I am not a liar. We are married. Everything we have is shared.” Victor said softly as he pulled me into his arms.

His attitude made me hesitate again. The shares in Victor’s company were worth a fortune. If he was willing to just give them to me, did that mean his heart was with me?

Just as I thought to ask about Lily, my door suddenly swung open. It was like me thinking of her summoning her presence at my office door. 

Lily wore a fake smile. "I hope I’m not interrupting anything!"

If she actually meant those words, she wouldn’t have just barged into my office like that…

"Oh, Lily!" Victor seemed just as surprised. "I wasn't expecting you to be out of the hospital so soon."

"Well, I heard that you were being your usual gentleman-like self and had arranged a job for me to work with you!" Lily's smile was wide. "So, I told the nurses I had some very important business to attend to, and they discharged me."

No nurse would've discharged her so easily if her injuries were as bad as Victor thought they were.

Lily rushed to Victor's side. She took his free hand in hers and looked up at him with a concerned expression.

Were they used to being so intimate with one another?

"But enough about me—I heard what you said, Victor. I know it may not be my place to say this, but I think you really should reconsider giving company shares to Emelia. Company shares hold a lot of weight and are of great importance. From my understanding, Emelia is only an employee, which is completely different from a real leader."

Lily's professional and eloquent tone stunned me. She spoke as if she held a managerial position with the company.

Did she think she was hired to be my supervisor? Or did she think she was Victor's equal?

"Lily, don’t speak that way about Emelia." Victor stopped her.

"Vic, I know this may be inappropriate but I'm telling the truth! It's irresponsible to hand something as important as company shares to any employee." Lily criticized. 

"Perhaps I should clarify that Victor is willing to give me these shares because I'm his wife—and not just some "employee". Is that a problem?" I couldn’t bear her criticisms of me anymore; especially since she knew nothing about me or my work ethic.

“Well, of course it's a problem. You’re not qualified to acquire so many shares!” Lily targeted me.

“That’s enough. Lily! ” Victor snapped. “Don’t speak to Emelia in that manner. She happens to be one of the best in this company. If anything, she deserves the shares.”

An apologetic expression was quickly on Lily’s face. "I–I am sorry! I'm not meaning to discredit her; I'm just thinking about you and all the hard work you've put into the company!" 

I raised a brow. Even if Lily's comments were wildly out of place, I considered that maybe she was simply being showing attention to detail.

Maybe was simply taking her new job seriously. Should I have shown more appreciation towards her efforts? 

Victor gently stroked the back of my hand to try and ease my nerves.

"These shares are something that I'm willing to give Emelia." Victor explained calmly. "Your comment, like you said, was completely inappropriate. This isn't just about business, but a testament to our relationship and what we've built."

I was glad that I finally turned the tide.

Lily’s voice wavered. “I’m sorry, I understand. I just… I thought we were still…” Her words were left to hang. 

Still what?

“Lily, I'm sorry if I was being too strict. I know you're just being thoughtful but you don’t need to worry about me. I know what I'm doing.”

I didn't understand why Victor couldn't seem to maintain his demeanor. It was almost as if he thought Lily couldn't handle any type of criticism or accountability.

"It's just… You always used to be so worried about me; that hasn't changed since we were kids. So, I can't help but worry about you sometimes." Lily gave Victor a meaningful smile as her gaze lazily drifted towards me.

I really wasn't in the mood to hear about their childhood together at all. "Well, it's a good thing Victor is a grown man who knows how to take care of himself." I interjected.

Victor nodded his head at me and turned his attention back to Lily. 

I forced a smile at his stubbornness. I just didn't understand how he couldn't see that the choices he was making affected me so deeply.

We were supposed to be a team.

Lily then turned her full attention to me. "Well, I hope we can work well together moving forward! I know I talk about this a lot, but Victor has always been like this—protective and considerate. He's always taken care of everything for me, which was why he arranged for me to come work here!"

"I just hope we won't have any more issues down the road. I hope I didn't come off as judgmental or anything," She said, her voice sounding sweet. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"Oh, but what am I saying?" Lily's smile grew even wider. "How could I possibly cause trouble at a company that was made for me?"